


Under The Eastern Lights

by TonicClaw



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Angst, Beverly is a Really Great Friend, Death, Fluff, Fluff in a Bucket, Hannibal Kinda Has Feelings, Hannibal is Kind of a Cannibal, Karaoke, M/M, Only Once In a While, Sorry Not Sorry, This is a Club AU By The Way, Will is Really Sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2019-11-28 20:56:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18213524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TonicClaw/pseuds/TonicClaw
Summary: Hannibal is new to Baltimore and got a job at The Eden Club (which is just basically a bar with a few nice ladies to look at and a karaoke machine). He sees the same man but never speaks to him- until now.Hannigram Club AU





	1. Introductions at a Bar

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Not good at multi chapter fics but I need to try new things so I thought a club/karaoke AU would be nice <3 Hope you all like it. The fist few chapters are gonna be short because I need to work out a format- have fun reading and tell me how you like it!
> 
> (If you find any spelling errors feel free to yell at me in the comments and I'll fix them)

The bar was quiet at Hannibal's shift, everyone already had their drinks and most were soon to be heading home. The manager told him he looked ‘creepy enough’ to close up at night and so Hannibal got the slow boring shift. The manager, Jack Crawford- wasn't a very nice man. Especially to new employees. Hannibal was no exception, as he'd only just moved to Baltimore and he needed an easy job to start out with.

The bar Eden was a haven for the expensive, technically it was considered a club since there's dancers but most said it was a bar. Hannibal was cleaning glasses and looking for any extremely drunk patrons, Jack had a back room where people could sleep off the alcohol, which was nice. Though having to clean up all sorts of stuff back there made it less nice.

As he sat his last glass down the door opened, a scruffy man with glasses trudged in and sat at the very end of the bar. This man he learned was a very closed off regular, usually occupying one of the beds in the back. Tonight though, he didn't look very happy. Hannibal walked over to him and got him a glass of whiskey, he learned that this man didn't speak much so Hannibal memorized his usual round of drinks. The man was becoming, dare Hannibal say, grateful that he didn't speak to him.

There was a type of rudeness Hannibal would tolerate, this man, he saw was just very socially awkward and half the time he thought those glasses he wore didn't even have a prescription. As Hannibal made his way to the man, he saw he was wearing his nametag this time, _Will .G._ The man, Will, looked upset. Hannibal wanted to ask- he wanted to know why he chose to drown himself in whiskey and vodka so much. He got his drink but unlike leaving like he usually did, Hannibal stayed. Will took notice and was moving to get up and leave but Hannibal wasn't going to let him.

“Excuse me, would you mind staying over here please?”

Will froze up, since they had a _silent_ agreement on his drinks he had never heard the bartender's voice. European, Will picked out. He turned and said “I-..no, thank you I wouldn't. I'd just like to drink alone.”

Hannibal shook his head lightly and attempted to coax Will to him.

“It would be best for you if you stayed here, Mr. Hobbs isn't in a very good mood and he's in the back already. Please?”

He watched as Will sighed and got back on the stool, he learned early on that Will didn't like Garrett Jacob Hobbs, that he didn't want to be near him at all. Hannibal got a stool and sat at his side of the bar, Will started to drink and he was done with his glass when Hannibal finally got back over to him. The bar was one of the long ones and curse Will for making him go around just to sit with him. Will was startled and watched Hannibal as he moved- _what was he doing?_ Hannibal sat and waited for Will to speak with him, if he so chose of course. They sat there for a few minutes and then the silence was broken.

“You're European..?”

Hannibal smiled as he responded playfully

“Yes, I'm from Lithuania. I've been in the US for 12 years but just moved here to Baltimore not too long ago. You have a bit of an accent as well- where are you from?”

Will adjusted in his seat, he ducked his head behind his hand as he made an attempt at smiling back. Hannibal thought maybe he was getting uncomfortable until he said with a light tone “-..Louisiana, I moved here a while ago.”

Hannibal nodded and looked at Will's glass and asked “Would you like me to refill your drink?” Will nodded and Hannibal filled the glass with vodka this time. Hannibal slid Will's drink over to him and when he got back over to him he held out his hand as he introduced himself.

“I'm Hannibal, It's nice to finally meet you.”

Will took his hand with a little bit of hesitance as he responded

“I'm Will, it's nice to meet you too."


	2. Making Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannibal and Will head home- they eat and sleep. Beverly gets introduced in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I couldn't stop writing this- it's gonna be a slow burn lemme tell you that right now- Again (definitely now since it's being posted at 1AM) if you find any spelling errors go ahead and yell at me and I'll fix them <3

Hannibal watched as Will stumbled out of the bar doors in a much lighter mood than he came in. He found out the reason while talking with Will, apparently his neighbor was being as he stated _‘a massive douchebag’_ because his boyfriend liked Will better. Hannibal could see why after the description Will gave of Brian Zeller- he was the possessive jealous type. Not good for romantic relationships at all.

Hannibal closed the bar doors as Hobbs made his way down the street huffing about his wife. He had half a mind to visit the Hobbs’ residence and see the state the family but maybe it was best not to- Garrett would regret ever hurting anyone ever again if he made that trip. Hannibal sighed and headed to his car- he needed to eat. He started the engine and drove off to his house.

His house wasn't as big as he'd like to be but it was a place where he could cook and make things so it was doable. He went straight to his kitchen the moment he shut the front door. Usually Hannibal would eat well cooked meals but he needed to eat now so he skipped that and grabbed leftovers and put them in the microwave. When the food was done he ate out of the container because why waste another dish when you could just eat right out of the container? He finished and washed it and got into the shower.

The steam cleared his nose and the water made his muscles relax. He washed his hair and body then stepped out. Drying off with a towel as he stepped to his closet for his night clothes he noticed a piece of paper in his coat pocket. He eyed it slowly and took it out- a poorly scrawled note greeted him-

_Hey- wrote this while you took a break. I work at the food market down on Fifth- if you wanna come say hi you can, I get off at 8PM so you can visit anytime during the day.- Will_

Hannibal chuckled and put the note in his sketchbook. He put on his night clothes and sank into his bed, closing his eyes and letting his mind drift.

-

Will took a cab home smiling, he couldn't wait to tell Beverly who he'd met. Beverly was a co-worker and friend of his, she was really cool to be around and didn't take anything from anyone- the 'do no harm, take no shit’ kind. He swayed up the steps to their shared house and he called out “Bev! Come-..Come down here- I m-..I met a guy at the bar!”

A few moments later as he closed the door she came running from the second floor and tackled him into a hug and they fell over.

“Nice Graham! Did you put the note in like I told you?”

Will smiled and nodded, he responded-

“Yeah- he's the bartender..-”

“The bartender! Oh my god I'm so jealous.”

Will moved out from under her and they sat together on the floor by the door. Will dropped his head on Beverley's shoulder and sighed. He looked up to her and smirked out

“He's from-..Lithuania-..and he likes to-..to cook and practice me-..medicine.”

His speech wasn't helping but he got his sentence across. Beverly gasped and cooed

“You're a good fisherman Graham, you can catch him. Come eat with me- I've got ramen upstairs.”

He nodded and asked “Microwaved..?”

“You know it. Now come on and let's get you up and fed so we can crash watching Forensic Files.”

Will nodded and let her lead him to the kitchen to reheat the rest of the ramen. They made their way up the stairs and Beverly played the crime show. They sat for 3 episodes before Will passed out snoring and Beverly leaning on him as she dozed off too.

In the morning Beverly helped Will nurse his headache and nausea. They sat there until Will's alarm went off and they got ready for work. Still pretty hungover and looking like garbage he let Beverly hide his dark circles with her makeup and put eye drops in his eyes. Beverly took the chance to drive them to work that morning- Will slept the rest of the way until he had to be literally dragged out of the passenger's side. Will flailed on the ground for a moment before Beverly assured him he wasn't being kidnapped. He got pulled up by Beverly and Molly and crutched inside.

This was going to be a long day.


	3. If and When You Need It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will has a short conversation with his boss and later on, a long one with Beverly. 
> 
> Beverly and Will's dynamic is explored a bit more in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 1,000 words!! I'm getting there! I hope you all are liking this so far <3 and thank you Timthx for the nice comment <3
> 
> As always yell at me in the comments if I miss any spelling errors and I'll fix them.

Will got situated after some stumbling and groaning. He put in headphones and started to stock the empty shelves, stocking for him was a little difficult since he had to carry a step stool everywhere. He ran into a few regulars and greeted them as he went about his work- he was hoping to see the bartender but he was already 5 hours in and losing hope. He wanted to forget about it but he couldn't help but look back to the sliding doors and think about him.

Beverly offered to keep him busy but he wasn't wanting to talk with anyone. So on Will went with his shift, all hope slowly draining out of him with each hour that passed. He was mopping the floors when his boss, Margot, came over and pulled him to the side.

“I heard you came in hungover Mr. Graham- that's the third time this week. Will, please, stop drinking like that. It worries everyone.”

Will nodded and apologized, he didn't like it when people worried- it felt forced. It seemed common sense that for people to not worry about him he shouldn't do things to worry people- but he'd continuously drink and skip meals. So worrying others wasn't going to stop anytime soon. He finished up his shift and he and Beverly went to the car to go home. She saved talking to him for when they got home since she didn’t want him to get upset in public, he had little dignity- she wanted to keep whatever was left. She parked the car and watched as Will exited and didn’t even turn the front light on. Beverly rolled her eyes and shut off the engine, she wanted to slap him sometimes.   
  
Though Will wasn’t happy at the fact that the bartender didn’t show up he couldn’t really blame him, Will didn’t specify a date or time- he just said to meet him sometime. Sometime could be a day or a week for all Will knew so he gave one last ditch attempt at letting go as he made mac and cheese for himself and Beverly. As Will stirred the noodles Beverly came up beside him and got a wafer to snack on, giving him a miffed look as she ate. Will turned to her and apologized-   
  
“-..I’m sorry Bev, I was kinda disappointed that the guy didn’t show. I know it’s not your fault and I feel really bad for giving you the cold shoulder today. I guess that’s what I get for not specifying a time huh?”

Beverly’s expression softened and she sighed out   


“..It’s alright Graham- I know you didn’t mean to..- Hey- maybe you could like..get out the frustration by breaking pencils or something,” Beverly shrugged at the last part but continued “-or maybe not..hm..oh! The bar you go to has a karaoke machine right? Maybe you can sing when you feel bad or upset at something!”

Will stopped stirring and most of the color drained from his face- he huffed out “..-w-what..?”

Beverly hurriedly shook her hands and said “not tonight! No not tonight- I know you have anxiety, that’s why I’m willing to get Molly and Matt over here so you can knock a bit of that anxiety off and prepare for it!”

Will stilled and retorted “..what makes you think I’m ok with this?”

Beverly sighed and flicked his shoulder as she said “because- I know how you sound when you sing- so much emotion is let out when you do it’s crazy. I know you’re closed off to the idea right now but maybe think about it? Please? I think it’d be good for you.” she finished with a hopeful smile as Will’s face gained a blush to it.   
  
“..you’ve heard me sing..?”

Beverly hugged Will and said “yeah- you’re really good, I heard you a couple times when you didn’t notice I came home. So will you at least think about it..?”

Will nodded and drained the noodles as she let go. He put them back in the pot and put the rest of the called for ingredients in and they waited. He put their dinner in bowls and let Beverly turn on the tv before he got to the room. When Will got to the room after finishing his part of the dinner he asked “Do you think I should’ve just given him my number instead?” 

Beverly set her bowl down and swallowed “..yeah probably, but too late to change that now. You’ll see him soon I’d imagine?” Will nodded and sat down to watch her flick through titles on Netflix. They decided on The Clockwork Orange and fell asleep watching it. 

Will had a nightmare for the first time in a while- it was with the ravenstag and an ocean of blood again. He shot up as Beverly shushed him. They’d made an arrangement the first month they moved in together-  _ If you need anything come get me, if you’re having issues come get me, if you’re going to cry come get me. If you need me come get me.  _ That arrangement went both ways, he’d have nightmares so much that even if it was 3AM Beverly would help him. She’d stay up with him and let him cry on her for hours. Will tried to do the same but doing that was difficult because when he tried to empathize- he’d dig himself in her emotions and he’d start feeling them too. He knew she understood so she’d talk to him about those things when he asked about them.

Those times lead to them just sharing the same bed, at first Will was really nervous about it but Beverly showed him it was ok. They had loose expectations and preferences for each other when it came to sharing the bed, Beverly didn’t mind that sometimes he’d wake up in an awkward state (that he’d have to retreat to the bathroom for) and Will didn’t mind that they’d wake up tangled together most times. They respected each other too much to bash each other for those things. 

Will calmed down after a while and apologized repeatedly and Beverly corrected him each time with “No need. It’s ok” and eventually they fell back asleep. Will woke up again but stayed in bed trying to figure out why he had a nightmare again since he hadn’t had one in about 3 months. He got out of bed about an hour later when his body started to protest being there for so long. 

 

Will could only hope that his nightmares wouldn’t start up again.


	4. Preparing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannibal gets a cab home and he doesn't have a very nice experience with it. 
> 
> Jack is introduced more in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok! Hello again! Just to let you know the events in this fic are set a bit before the events in Hannibal- as in everyone's younger and Bella's starting to show major signs of her illness. As I am not a doctor I can't properly do these types of illnesses correctly (no matter how hard I try) so please don't quote me on anything related to her illness.
> 
> Again- if I make any spelling errors yell at me in the comments!

The weather was mild that day and the traffic was less around 10AM and as Hannibal closed up the bar he sighed- he wanted to take Will up on that offer to go to his work to see him but was that a good idea to do so soon? He was still adjusting to the fact that he made a friend at all, maybe something more if he played his hand right. Hannibal waved down a cab and went home.   
-   
Hannibal payed and walked up the steps to his house- that man was  _ very rude. _ The entire ride Hannibal had to listen to the worst music and the guy demanded so many things  _ and  _ missed his house  _ twice. _ He thought that was possibly the worst cab fare he’d ever taken. Opening the door to his house he set his bag down and huffed- he’d only killed 2 people here in Baltimore so far. Though when he realized he wasn’t going to use all the meat in one go he stopped but that man was the worst. He didn’t want anyone else to have to experience what he did.

Showers always made him feel better. He took one for longer than usual just to sit there under the spray. There was always a period before his clothes and almost right after the shower that he felt most calm, it was his favorite. He set down his toothbrush and rinsed his mouth out, he needed a plan for Will. As if he needed to apologize somehow- he was supposed to go today to see him but Jack wanted him in day shift this week and he couldn't tell Will because he wasn't sure if he worked just the one day or earlier in the week (since it was Saturday). Maybe he could see about staying later to find out if Will was available-.. _ or.. _ he could just go over to his work and if he's not there ask a coworker where he is-..that's a better idea for tomorrow. 

* * *

Planning out killing wasn't _ that  _ difficult- it was finding enough dirt on the person to warrant his hand in their death, that's what made him lose hours. At this point Hannibal felt like he should just use the meat he already had but  _ it needs to be fresh. _ What he was making required  _ fresh  _ ingredients- not 5 day old livers. The making of Char Siu was simple enough- with the marinade he had everything except the red fermented tofu bean curd (that could be found easily though) so he had to do some shopping  _ along with  _ finding a suitable person. 

He found the cab driver after sometime- he was regular build so nothing too challenging. He wanted to experiment with displays this time as well so he drew out what he was considering-

_ Demands- cut the tongue and replace it with fingers and yellow carnations for disdain.  _

_ The music- cut off the ears and take out the Temporal and Parietal lobes on the left hemisphere of the brain.  _

_ The missed stops-  _

Hannibal's phone rang before he could finish his thoughts. He got up and answered- the caller ID read for Jack so he stopped what he was doing.

“Hello?”

“ _ Hannibal- are you coming in to work tomorrow?” _

“Yes. You said I had to finish the week, remember?”

“ _...right- sorry..Bella's been sick and I had to stay up with her last night. I'm sorry I had to put you on day shift I just can't be there and you know how to take care of people. I'll pay you extra for your time. _ ”

“If you feel that's what you need, then pay me. Though remember I took it willingly, without the thought of getting paid more. I'm doing this because you need to spend time with your wife.”

“... _ yes..thank you Hannibal. I'll give you 6 more to your hourly pay. _ ”

“Ok. Thank you. Now go rest I'm sure you need it.”

“ _ Alright- have a good evening Hannibal. _ ”

“You too.”

-

Hannibal found after the first week of actually holding conversations with Jack that he was only hard on newcomers because he didn't want them easily bated into the wrong type of service. He explained that since he was hard on them it made the newcomer think that if they got bribed or worse they would definitely get in trouble. It wasn't a personal thing. He then found out about his wife. She had recently started to show signs of some very dangerous sickness. She wasn't willing to go to the hospital just yet he said but she would go. Hannibal wondered if she was just trying to keep the diagnosis from him. He didn't think it was his place to press though so he just sat as Jack shared his life with him. Hannibal gave some information back as well- mostly about culinary and the arts. He didn't really want to get “attached” to too many people. He just wanted to work.

-

As Hannibal put the last flower in its place he smiled to himself- this one only took 4 hours! He backed up and took it all in, he was very proud of himself. Now no one would have to deal with that man again. He had all he needed and then some, all that was left was actually  _ making  _ the Char Siu. He went home and started to prepare the marinade and the side dish for it. He was planning to take Will somewhere- though he'd have to ask and make sure but for all intents and purposes he made a plan for outdoor lunch. As he set everything for the overnight bathing it'd have to do Hannibal smiled- maybe he'd find a really good friend in Will, he'd never had one- he still held onto hope that maybe  _ just maybe  _ he'd get one. Hannibal put everything away and headed to bed, tomorrow was going to be a very eventful day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also also- I post Hannibal related stuff on my Twitter! Get updates on the story and other stuff as well! @TonicClaw


	5. Phone Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannibal and Will start their morning and Beverly talks to Will some more about singing.
> 
> Molly gets introduced in this chapter (slightly)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A double feature! I hope you all are liking this again thanks to Timthx for the comments they've been leaving <3
> 
> And once more- any spelling mistakes are mine and you can yell at me in the comments about fixing them.

Will made his way downstairs after getting dressed, today was his off day and he wanted to lounge around. He wore some navy blue shorts and one of Beverly's “cool band t-shirts” since all of his clothes were in the wash. Beverly looked at him and smiled softly and she flicked her head to the stovetop for breakfast.

“..Hash Browns and eggs..?”

Beverly nodded and with a mouthful of said food she smiled out “yeah,” she then swallowed and continued “.. I was thinking maybe you could pick a song to sing to me, I wanna see if you have the guts!”

Will laughed and said “oh I..do not have the guts! I really don't know Bev, maybe I can sit on the 'recommendation’ some more..?”

“Alright Graham, I'll give you until Thursday, 'cause that's when Matt  _ and  _ Molly get off. Ok?” 

Will nodded and got his plate, he really just wasn't sure- singing in front of people made him antsy and he didn't like it. Now playing instruments- he was relatively ok with that but he never took the time to learn like Beverly. He was done with his breakfast soon enough and sat down to check his computer for any new deals on violin strings for Beverly. He found out that Beverly had her pay cut because she hadn't been there for a week and a half given the death of one of her parents. It made Will feel bad so he wanted to do something for her- she mentioned that her strings were broken and those were her last ones so Will went on Craigslist to find some strings. He was still looking after a month. 

He sighed and shut his computer off, he got up and sat at the dining table to think of a song. Nancy Sinatra came to mind with 'My Baby Shot Me Down’ but he thought better of that. It was kind of a sad song and he wanted to lighten Beverly's mood. He was doing this for her after all. So Will thought some more and came up with Cyndi Lauper's 'True Colors’ cover and gave a shrug of 'eh it's good enough’ and went upstairs to nervously attempt to sing. Though when he heard her pick up the phone he stopped.

 

* * *

 

Hannibal woke up and he rushed out of bed, he was halfway down the stairs when he remembered he still hadn't made the trip down to Will's work. He got dressed after preparing the Char Siu and putting it in a container to take with him. He drove with a little wave of excitement, his caregiver Chiyoh told him about that excited feeling. She said it almost felt like anxiety- but the good kind. As Hannibal pulled up he looked over to the container and gave it a huge smile as if it could return it and got out. He smoothed everything down walked inside. 

A brunette lady came up to him and asked “..good morning sir! Is there something you'd like to shop for today?” He smiled at her, and shook his head and responded “..ah, no. But I am here for something. There is a man that works here, he goes to the bar that I work at sometimes, the Eden Club. I saw his nametag and his name is Will. Do you have a coworker with that name by chance?”

The brunette with the nametag  _ Molly  _ gave Hannibal a huge squeal and a silly smile and shook her hands to calm herself down “..oh my god- Graham finally did it!..hold on- I'll call Beverly and see if he's there!” Hannibal stood there all the while as she rushed around to get to a phone, utterly in awe of how she reacted. He saw as she hurriedly typed and called whoever Beverly was. He stood there and waited.

“Hello- hi- it's Molly! Oh my god you won't believe it. No- no- Matt didn't say fuck you to the manager- no- listen! Shush and listen so I can get this guy over to you. Is Will there?” 

A brief pause

“...ok good thank god. Ok so this guy came in asking for Will, says he's from Eden- yes! From the bar!”

Another more audible pause of who he assumed to be Beverly yelling for Will, and Molly shoving the phone away at the volume. 

“You done yelling..? Yes-...he's European. Dirty blonde hair,”

She turned to Hannibal and stared at him and then turned back

“Brown eyes...why do you need this?...ohh...yeah that-..that makes much more sense. Ok ok I'll send him down. Cool. Alright- he's on his way. Ok-..ok..bye.”

She turned back when she put up her phone. She was about jumping around when she wrote down an address and handed it to him with a nod.

He thanked her and exited the store. He looked at the container at almost every stop and he was wondering what Will would look like in his comfort zone. Beverly, Hannibal wanted to meet, he decided that he'd get to know both of them at first. As he drove he was thinking of Will's reaction at the lunch Hannibal had made. 

 

This was going to be an eventful day indeed.


	6. Journal Entries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beverly writes about the day she and Will has with Hannibal. Hannibal goes to work and the cops get called.
> 
> Abigail gets introduced in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long- I've been working on and off with this chapter. I hope that this chapter'll make up for it- sorry for the wait!
> 
> Thank you Timthx for the nice commet- and SammyL for the lovely in depth analysis I love it <3
> 
> As always- yell at me in the comments if I have spelling errors!

Beverly sat on the bed and got her journal out while she waited for Will to finish up dinner, she gave a smile at the day’s events and got out a pencil and started to write.   
  
_ April 10th _ __  
_  
_ _ Today that European bartender came to the house. I got a call from Molly and she was very excited to get him over to me and Will, I assumed it’d take him a while but not even 20 minutes later he was here. Will opened the door and  _ **_his face_ ** _ I really wanted to take a picture but I couldn’t sadly. So I’ll describe- His eyes were really wide, at least for him. His mouth was about to the floor and he looked like he was going to drop. He had a hard time speaking and when he saw that this guy had  _ **_lunch_ ** __ for Will so he just silently let him inside. I think his mind was blown for the first hour. The guy introduced himself to me when he saw me on the love-seat, his name is Hannibal. Hannibal looked different than I imagined- like more defined I guess..? I definitely didn't expect the hand kiss- Will was red as a tomato and I tried so hard not to laugh as I thanked him for it.

_ We got the lunch situated and Hannibal stared at the table with all the marks on it- I knew he was 'assessing’ how Will lived. Hannibal looked around some more before we all got around to sitting. He smiled when Will attempted a joke or when Will laughed his. I sat there eating this wonderfully done food- it was like heaven on earth let me just say that right now. The meat was amazingly marinated and the Bao was also just as amazing. Will ate it slowly- I think he was still shocked at the fact Hannibal brought him (and by extension, me) lunch. When everything was eaten Hannibal and Will washed the dishes while I sat fixing my blog at the table. I heard (and peaked at) them and it was really adorable- Hannibal was smiling at everything Will did. Will was trying his best not to mess up and honestly I'm proud of him for trying. Hannibal seems like a great guy- he’s educated and has a very important vibe to him, but not overly self absorbed- he has confidence.  _

_ Of course I was anticipating lots of questions about how me and Will lived- especially about the bed situation. Hannibal looked at the room we shared since Will wanted to show him the fishing stuff he had in the closet. I think it was just a ruse to get Hannibal alone but by the time I decided to get up and see they were already down the stairs with the stuff. Hannibal asked Will about it first, then me. I answered most of it.  _

_ Hannibal looked somewhat pleased that Will was, in fact, single and I felt a little jealousy from him at first. Understandable. After I reassured him that Will and I weren't dating Hannibal softened his look on me. He also paid a little more attention to me afterwards, which was completely fine. Will was tense with 'oh my god what am I going to do now’ and now, as I'm writing this, I think I'll give him a shoulder rub- pretty sure he needs one. Hannibal stayed until 6:00 and Will started to make an actual dinner- Hannibal gave him a good mood. I like Hannibal- I think the conversation on Will's nightmares were a clear sign that Hannibal cared. _

_ Hannibal said it was stress. Plus the alcohol before bed didn't help. Will brightened at the explanation- he noted that since he was 'promoted’ (and I use that term loosely) from the occasional help to full time working he was feeling more tired. The Verger Family Business held several stores but only one in Baltimore- which was the original store. Margot was the manager of the store while her brother Mason ran the whole thing from home. I know this because she sometimes rants under her breath about her brother being a piece of garbage. Will made it sound like a walk in the park but actually he had more shifts than anyone else when it came to stocking everything in the store. I thought that was totally unfair and BS but Mason personally put him there. So I couldn't exchange any shifts.  _

_ Will gave Hannibal his number shortly after he arrived because it was just common sense right- to give that person your number especially since they already know where you live? _

_ Plus he listened to what Will had to say, even though he stumbled over most of it. It was comforting to me that Hannibal didn't seem to mind. I'd go as far as to say that he liked it. When Hannibal stepped out the door I followed him, he was surprised. I told him that Will was unstable- which he was, though less now than when I first met him. I think I might've done the whole older family member protection speech. Hannibal nodded at what I had to say and I added that Will didn't deserve to be hurt, because he already had enough of it. Hannibal listened and told me as he turned to leave 'I would never dream of hurting Will, ever’ which should've been comforting but it felt off. I think it was just because of the tone he used. Though I can't just judge someone on the use of a certain tone at anytime like that. Sadly. I went back inside and Will was getting stuff out of the fridge. He was so happy- I just hope Hannibal can take care of Will if they get together. He needs more than I can give.  _

Beverly put the book away and waited for Will- she heard him finish up and she wanted to see how he made the Alfredo. He came in shortly after and she gave him a smile as he handed her the bowl.

“You gonna cook like this from now on Graham?”

Will shrugged his shoulders and turned on NCIS. 

“I dunno- just felt good today,” He smiled at his bowl of food and continued with a laugh “..I honestly wasn't expecting the lunch he made- he  _ made  _ that and I still can't get over it.”

Beverly nodded and started to eat, she loved when Will smiled- it meant he was in some sort of good mood. She appreciated the effort he made today. As she set down the bowl to take a break Will spoke with hesitance-

“..I..uh- I think I'd like to try the uh..the singing thing soon..”

Beverly looked over to Will and smiled softly, she nodded and said-

“I'm proud of you Will. Really. I'm glad you're stepping out of your comfort zone. Now come on we missed a couple episodes when we crashed last Friday- I wanna see what Gibbs does this time!”

Will was stunned at the start but chuckled at her eagerness and watched the episode with her.

* * *

Hannibal got home later than he thought he had and he was going to be late if he didn't hurry. The shift he had was restored and he could get back to his regular schedule of things, which was very soothing to him. As Hannibal got dressed he thought about the days events- he felt a twinge of happiness. Sometimes he hated the fact that he couldn't display most emotions to the full extent. He'd read books with Chiyoh about romance- he tried his best to emulate the proper responses to Will's jokes and smiles. If the look of approval from Beverly was anything to go by, he'd assumed that he was doing more than ok with it. When he got out the door he sighed- Hannibal knew this was a tricky road to go on but maybe it'd be worth the efforts.

Hannibal got in the car and drove to work, he got out in a hurry and it was 2 minutes before he had to clock in. He clocked in and started his shift. The music was a little different than usual- more  _ club  _ oriented. The ladies who were working probably needed a faster song to dance to. As Hannibal got to filling the first few drinks the door opened- a girl with dark hair came in and looked like she was going to burst into tears. Hannibal left a half cleaned glass in favor of seeing what the problem was. He got over to the girl and she flinched at him when he asked

“..Excuse me, are you lost?”

“...N-..No..my dad comes here-..a lot. I..”

At that she finally dropped to the floor and started to sob- a few other patrons looked in her direction and gave concerned looks. Hannibal bent down on his knee to be at her level, to look her in the eyes and he asked

“..What's the matter..?”

She choked out “..M-..My mama's..mama's dead-..tri-..tried t'call..daddy a-..and he didn't..didn't answer!”

She was gasping at almost every pause and she looked like she was going to pass out so he got her up and took her outside.

“Breathe-..tell me your name please.”

“..A-..Abigail..Hobbs-”

“Good, now tell me why you haven't called the police yet please.”

Her expression turned from distraught to terrified but she made an attempt at an answer while looking around at their surroundings,

“D-..Daddy doesn't..he doesn't..-like the police..please tell daddy mama's gone please!”

She made that her final words before she started to cry again. Hannibal brought her close and tried his best at comforting so she could calm down enough to get back inside. He had a hunch why the mother was dead. Hobbs came in more aggravated than usual when hel had day shift. Grumbling about the  _ conditions _ the family was in, Hobbs drank more and then presumably slept in the back room. Hannibal clenched his jaw a bit- he really hated men like Hobbs. Hannibal probably should've seen it- though he didn't  _ actually  _ know why Mrs. Hobbs died. It was probably not best to jump to conclusions so quickly-  _ but just in case. _

As customary- a bouncer took her. Hannibal was very concerned at that, he hated that he had to return to his station at the bar. When he got to his side of the bar he looked at the entrance and for several hours he noted that no one came in or had left- not even Abigail. 

Then-

“I DIDN'T KILL MY WIFE- GET OFF ME-”

A booming voice came from the back- it clicked in Hannibal's mind just then that the only reason he hadn't seen anyone was because they went through the back, so as to not disturb the patrons-  _ a little late for that.  _

He looked around as Hobbs was taken into custody, as to not draw too much attention to himself. Hannibal thought of what would become of Abigail if she had no other relatives- she'd probably be put in the state's care.  _ Such a shame. _

As Hannibal finished cleaning the last glass in the line he thought of maybe visiting Abigail somehow.

He set down the rag and adjusted his sleeves, there was much to think about when he got home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my Twitter for general fandom stuff and UTEL progress updates!: TonicClaw


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